// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Author 'devastated' after festival judges accuse her of using AI to write novel
A Welsh learner who submitted a novel to one of the National Eisteddfod's most prestigious writing competitions said she was "devastated" when judges accused her of using Artificial Intelligence to write it.
Romy Wood from Cardiff submitted her entry titled Y Dderwen under the pseudonym Lithedora.
Judges Meinir Wyn Edwards, Llwyd Owen, and Lleucu Roberts originally said it was "disgraceful" one of the nine entrants had used AI in "a competition as important as this one" - something Wood denies.
The independent adjudicators later said they were "deeply sorry to have caused distress", adding: "No doubt, one day we will see this new author for our language wearing the medal".
The National Eisteddfod celebrates Welsh language, music, literature, and arts
BBC Wales has seen confirmation that Wood entered the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize, which is for unpublished novels of at least 50,000 words.
All entrants in the main literature prizes in the National Eisteddfod compete under pseudonyms, as a part of the festival's strict confidentiality rule.
During the ceremony on Tuesday, judge Meinir Wyn Edwards said there was "no plan or narrative arc in this novel" and that the "clumsy, flawed expression makes the whole thing almost impossible to read".
"So much so, that we suspect an artificial intelligence machine created the novel and that the author didn't even bother to read through the work," she added.
According to the adjudicators, the novel was placed "at the bottom of the pile".